Regional Church Bible Foundations

1. God - There is one, and only one, living and true God. He is an intelligent, spiritual, and personal Being, the Creator, Redeemer, Preserver, and Ruler of the universe. God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections. God is omnipresent. The eternal God reveals Himself to us as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit with distinct personal attributes.

(1 Corinthians 8:6; too numerous to list)

2. God the Father - God, as Father, reigns over His universe and His creatures, and is all powerful, all loving, and all wise. He loves all mankind and does not want anyone to perish. He desires fellowship with His children and wants everyone to be reconciled to Him through His son Jesus.

(Matthew 6:9; John 3:16; too numerous to list)

3. God the Son - Jesus, the Christ, is the only begotten Son of God. In His incarnation as Jesus Christ, He was conceived of the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin, Mary. Jesus perfectly revealed and did the will of God, taking upon Himself a human nature and identifying Himself completely with mankind, yet without sin. He honored the Father’s will by His personal obedience, and in His death on the cross, through the shedding of His blood, He made provision for the redemption of men from sin. He was raised from the dead with a glorified body and appeared to His disciples as the person who was with them before His crucifixion. He ascended into heaven and is now exalted at the right hand of God where He is the One Mediator between God and man. He is also the head of the Church, His body here on earth. He will return in power and glory to judge the world and to reign.

(John 3:16; Luke 1:26-38; 1 Peter 1:18-19; 2 Corinthians 5:21;

Acts 2:33; Ephesians 1:18-23; Revelation 20)

4. God the Holy Spirit - The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He inspired men to write the Scriptures. He lives in fullness in every Child of God, and every child becomes the temple of God. Through revelation He enables men to understand truth, thereby being the teacher. He is also called the Spirit of Truth. He exalts Christ. He convicts of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment. He calls men to the Savior, and transforms lives. He comforts believers, and manifests the spiritual gifts. He seals the believer in Christ and God. His presence in the Christian is the assurance to every believer that they are a child of God. He enlightens and empowers the believer and the church in worship, evangelism, and service.

(John 14; John 16; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Corinthians 12:7;

Ephesians 1:13; Ro. 8:16; John 4:24)

5. God’s Word - God’s Word comes to us in several different ways. The most familiar is His written Word, the Holy Bible. The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit, and is the record of God’s revelation of Himself to man. It is without error. God’s Word is alive, and has the ability to transform lives. God’s Word also comes to us through other people, revealed thoughts, dreams and visions, and situations and circumstances.

(2 Timothy 3:16; Hebrews 4:12; John 14:26; Acts 2:17, Acts 16:9)

6. Man - God created man for fellowship with Himself. Man was created as a trichotomy made up of body, soul, and spirit. God’s plan was for man to live in fellowship with Him, eternally. The fall of man came through the temptation of Satan in the Garden of Eden. Because of sin, man was separated from God. However, through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, and each person’s belief in Him, man is reconciled to God. Man will again live eternally.

(Genesis 1:26-27; 1 John 1:3; 1 Thessalonians 5:23;

Genesis 2: Romans 5:19; John 3:16)

7. Angels - Angels are beings created by God, before man was created. They are spiritual beings that can take on other forms, such as glowing as white as lightening, or the form of a man. They will never die, and they do not marry. The Bible tells us that they are innumerable. They are to serve God and man as guardians, messengers, ministering spirits, and warriors. In the future, man will judge the angels.

(Ephesians 3:9, Colossians 1:16, Revelations 4:11, Revelations 5:13, Revelations 10:6; Matthew 28:2-3; Luke 20:36, Matthew 22:3,

Mark 12:25; Hebrews 12:22; Psalms 34:7; Acts 8:26; Hebrews 1:14;

1 Chronicles 21:16a; Daniel 10:12-14; 1 Corinthians 6:3)

8. Satan - Satan was an angel created by God. He had the seal of perfection on him. He was the anointed cherub that covered God. He was perfect in beauty. Sin was found in him when he desired to be like God. Satan was cast down to earth out of heaven. Jesus called him the father of lies, because there is no truth in Him. His purpose is to steal, kill, and destroy. He can change his appearance to look like an angel of light, however, he can only be in one place at a time. Jesus defeated him through the resurrection from the dead. Satan will find his eternal death in the lake of fire.

(Ezekiel 28:11-19, Isaiah 14:9-15; John 8:44; John 10:10;

2 Corinthians 11:14; Revelation 12:4b-5, 10-11; John 16:33;

Genesis 3:1-5; Colossians 2:13-15; Revelation 20:7-10;

Matthew 25:41)

9. Demons - Demons are formerly God’s angels that chose to follow Satan when he was cast out of heaven. One third of God’s angels followed Satan. They continue to follow his (Satan’s) orders to bring about the destruction of man. They can oppress or possess men and women. They will find their eternal death in the lake of fire.

(Revelation 12:3-4; Ephesians 6:12; Matthew 12:43-45;

Matthew 25:41)

10. Hell - Hell is a literal place. Jesus gave it many names, some of which are lake of fire or eternal fire. God did not create hell for man, but for Satan and his demons. However, every person that does not receive Jesus as their personal Savior will be thrown into the lake of fire with Satan and his demons for all of eternity.

(Matthew 13 41-43; Matthew 25:31-46; Rev. 20:15)

11. Becoming a Child of God - First, you must realize that you are a sinner, your sin separates you from God for all of eternity, and you have a need of a Savior. Next, God requires you to believe in your heart that Jesus is the Son of God, that He came to earth, died, and rose to life on the third day. Finally, you must confess that Jesus is Lord. When you do this, you have been “born again”, that is, born into God’s family by the Holy Spirit. You will then be a Child of God. This belief requires faith on your part. However, even the faith that you use to believe, was given to you by God.

(Romans 3:23; John 3:16; Romans 10: 9&10; John 3:3-8;

Romans 12:3; 1 John 5:1a)

12. Eternal Security - Once you are a Child of God, you are always a Child of God, not because of what you do, but because God has entered into a covenant with you. The believer will never perish, because you were “born” of the Spirit with an imperishable seed. Believers are in the hand of Jesus and God, and no one is able to “snatch” them out of their hands.

(Hebrews 9:15; Hebrews 9:26b; John 10:27-30, 1 Peter 1:23;

John 10:28)

13. The Inheritance of the Child of God - When you become a Child of God, immediately many things take place that will not change. These become the benefits, or inheritance, for every Child of God. These truths, revealed in the Word, are what God has already done for every one of His children. This inheritance is available, immediately, to every believer.

(Romans 8:17; Ephesians 1:10-14)

15. Church Membership - The Church is made up of Children of God, worldwide, and is the living body of Jesus Christ on the earth. If you are a Believer, you are immediately a member.

16. Baptism - Jesus said to baptize (immerse in water) every believer in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, as a witness that the person has been baptized or immersed and sealed in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Water baptism is not necessary for salvation, however, it shows obedience on the part of the believer to follow Jesus.

(Matt. 28:19; Matt. 3:5 & 6, 13)

17. The Lord’s Supper - Jesus instigated the Lord’s Supper just before His death on the cross. He established it as a picture of the New Covenant between God and man, knowing that He would be the sacrifice for the new covenant. The broken bread represents His body that was given for us. The wine represents His blood that was shed to cover and take away all sin. Jesus told His believers to observe the Lord’s Supper in remembrance of Him. Any believer, who is present during the offering of the Lord’s Supper, has the right as a Child of God to partake.

(Luke 22:19-20; 1 Corinthians 11:24-29)

Regional Church of Southeast Oklahoma

Gary Lanier, Pastor

Worship Location:

Lamplight Theater in Downtown Broken Bow, OK

In the Old Rock Bank & Post Office Building.

Entrance on Second Street.

Office Location:

123 North Broadway

Broken Bow, OK 74728

580.584.2889

info@regional-church.org